Anxiety FAQs

Anxiety is a word we use to describe feelings of unease, worry and fear. It incorporates both the emotions and the physical sensations we might experience when we are worried or nervous about something. Although we usually find it unpleasant, anxiety is related to the ‘fight or flight’ response – our normal biological reaction to feeling threatened.

We all know what it’s like to feel anxious from time to time. It’s common to feel tense, nervous and perhaps fearful at the thought of a stressful event or decision you’re facing – especially if it could have a big impact on your life. For example:•sitting an exam•going into hospital•attending an interview•starting a new job•moving away from home•having a baby•being diagnosed with an illness•deciding to get married or divorced

In situations like these it’s understandable to have worries about how you will perform, or what the outcome will be. For a short time you might even find it hard to sleep, eat or concentrate. Then usually, after a short while or when the situation has passed, the feelings of worry stop.

Like all other animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us protect ourselves from dangerous, life-threatening situations. When you feel under threat your body releases hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol, which help physically prepare you to either fight the danger or run away from it. These hormones can:•make you feel more alert, so you can act faster•make your heart beat faster to carry blood quickly to where it’s needed most

Then when you feel the danger has passed, your body releases other hormones to help your muscles relax, which may cause you to shake.

This is commonly called the ‘fight or flight’ response – it’s something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no control over it. In modern society we don’t usually face situations where we need to physically fight or flee from danger, but our biological response to feeling threatened is still the same.

Because anxiety is a normal human experience, it's sometimes hard to know when it's becoming a problem for you – but if your feelings of anxiety are very strong, or last for a long time, it can be overwhelming.

For example:•You might find that you’re worrying all the time, perhaps about things that are a regular part of everyday life, or about things that aren’t likely to happen – or even worrying about worrying.•You might regularly experience unpleasant physical and psychological effects of anxiety, and maybe panic attacks.•Depending on the kind of problems you experience, you might be given a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder.

Going out of the house is a challenge because I [have a] fear of panicking and feel that I'm being watched or judged. It's just horrible. I want to get help but I'm afraid of being judged.

If anxiety is affecting your ability to live your life the way you’d like to, it's worth thinking about ways to help yourself, and what kind of treatments are available.

If you experience anxiety or panic attacks there are many things you can do to help yourself cope. These include:•talking to someone you trust•breathing exercises•shifting your focus•listening to music•reassuring thoughts•physical exercise- Rochdale and District Mind can help you access a variety of sports/physical exercise activities•keeping a diary•eating a healthy diet•complementary therapies•joining a support group - Rochdale and District Mind run various support groups to help people with anxiety issues

A common – and natural – response to anxiety is to avoid what triggers your fear, so taking any action might make you feel more anxious at first. It can be difficult, but facing up to how anxiety makes you feel can be the first step in breaking the cycle of fear and insecurity.

The most common treatments that your GP might offer you for anxiety and panic disorders are:•talking treatments•self-help resources•certain types of medication

The kind of treatment your GP offers you might vary depending on your diagnosis, but ideally they should offer you a talking treatment before prescribing medication (this the recommendation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), who produce guidelines on best practice in healthcare).

Talking treatments

Talking treatments (also known as counselling or therapy), are a process in which you work with a trained therapist to understand the causes of your anxiety, and to find strategies to manage it.

There are lots of different types of talking treatments available, but the most commonly prescribed talking treatment for anxiety is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), because there is reliable evidence that it can be effective. Again Rochdale and District Mind can offer you one to one counselling if group sessions are found not to help you.

Self-help resources are tools that have been developed by health care professionals for you to use by yourself, and can be helpful in managing anxiety. They can be in the form of: •workbooks•computer programmes, such as Fearfighter. Fearfighter is a computer-based CBT (CCBT) programme for treating anxiety, panic and phobias.

To access self-help resources:

•You can buy self-help workbooks from various bookshops and specialist organisation websites, such as No Panic. •Your local library might be able to order certain self-help books for you to borrow for free.•Your GP and Rochdale and District Mind are able to prescribe you self-help resources through the NHS.

What other treatment options are there?

Applied relaxation therapy•Applied relaxation therapy involves learning how to relax your muscles in situations where you normally experience anxiety.•It should be delivered by a trained therapist – usually for 1 session a week, over 3–4 months.•This treatment can only be accessed via your GP and he/she is more likely to prescribe applied relaxation if you have generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) or agoraphobia (a kind of phobia).

How can I access these treatments?

•Through the NHS via a GP referral – The first step is usually to talk to your GP, who can make an assessment and prescribe treatments.•self-referral to Rochdale and District Mind by completing a referral form - see top of this page for the link•You may also be able to refer yourself for counselling. You can see if self-referral NHS services are available in your area by looking at the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme website.

The Open Mind team is the 'gateway' to all the services of Rochdale & District Mind, apart from the Advocacy project.
You can refer yourself, or be referred by a supporting professional, anytime you feel you are experiencing mental distress and would like support

Welcome to ‘Open Young Minds’, our confidential young person’s service available for children and young people with mild to moderate emotional health and wellbeing issues and are living in Rochdale (including Heywood and Middleton) and are aged 11 – 25 years old.